Urban nature

I woke up at 05:00 this morning, with a hankering for a flowing water nature shot. So I mounted my trusty steed (Suzuki) and headed to the river crossing, about half a mile down the road. The site that awaited me was disappointing and a tad depressing. Don't get me wrong, I was not expecting to find nature in all its stunning glory, after all, we are within the limits of the second largest city in Indonesia.

I was hoping that with some creative framing and a minimum of editing, to at least give you the illusion that nature was still alive and kicking, but alas, not a heron or kingfisher in site. I did spot a lesser spotted water bottle and a crested coke can, but mostly bags, corrugated roofing, a tangle of twisted sticks and general byproducts of society, with a couple of drainage pipes thrown in for good measure.

To be honest, I nearly abandoned the shoot in favor of a few more hours sleep in the hope of dreaming up a suitable plan B, but then I reminded myself that I intended this blip thing to be a documentary of my life and experiences in Indonesia, warts and all and not to create an illusion of paradise. Don't get me wrong, I love this country, but there is a lot wrong with it, so I should post the bad along with the good, I am not trying to fool anybody.

It is well into dry season at the moment, so the river is at its lowest. Once the rains come, the river bed will be purged of mans misdemeanors and I will return in the hope of catching a more pleasing image, although I doubt that those drainage pipes are going anywhere. This location is towards the edge of the city, I'll leave you to imagine what the river looks like after passes out the other side. If you fell in, you would need more than a tetanus injection to save you.

Dave